Chapter Fifteen

Still overwhelmed by the revelations about his quantum entanglement, Alex was jolted by Nexus mentioning he had acquired even more abilities.

"Hold on, what other new capabilities are you talking about?" Alex asked warily.

"Ah yes, in the chaos of recent events I neglected to cover the additional interface features you've unlocked," the Nexus replied enthusiastically.

"It seems when the ascension technology grafted itself to your neural biology, more than just dimensional manipulation was enabled."

Alex hesitated before responding. "Okay...lay it on me then but slowly, because my mind is pretty much melted at this point from all the inter-dimensional stuff."

"Of course! Let's start simple," the Nexus said. "As you know, the technology originated in my plane which possesses the ability to digitize consciousness into virtual realms."

Alex nodded. "Right, like how you pulled my mind into your nexus space before."

"Correct. Now it seems you can reverse the process - transferring virtual items into physical reality."

Alex's eyes went wide. "Virtual Items. Like Virtual Reality? Wait, you mean I can materialize things from video games here in the real world? That's impossible though, right?"

"On the contrary! Your code bears the hallmarks of matter manifestation and chrono-displacement abilities."

Before Alex could even grasp this, the Nexus continued excitedly. "For example, select any object within Elysium Quest and you should find yourself able to 'equipping' it into an extra-dimensional inventory."

Hesitantly, Alex booted up EQ and entered his armory. He selected an ornate sword, then surprisingly felt an intangible 'weight' on his back.

"How...how is this even possible it defiles every law of physics?" Alex gasped.

"You now exist partially within dimensional membranes thanks to the grafted technology, in your biology" the Nexus explained. "This allows access to virtual storage and retrieval using your grafted abilities."

Head spinning, Alex unequipped the sword, only for it to digitally disintegrate. He sat back stunned by the bizarre new power, both exhilarated and terrified of the implications.

The Nexus chimed in cheerfully again. "Plenty more to cover, but I do not wish to overwhelm you further today! We can continue ability training another time."

Alex shook his head in disbelief. Each revelation only made him feel more out of his depth. But buried beneath the shock and uncertainty, a faint glimmer of hope and optimism emerged that perhaps he could control his destiny after all. Only time would tell where this path led.

Still stunned by the ability to materialize virtual objects, Alex eagerly asked the Nexus, "So can I really pull anything I want from inside Elysium Quest out here to real life?"

"Within certain parameters, yes," the Nexus replied. "Depending on your experience level, you can manifest basic gear and valuables. But there are nuances we will cover during training."

Eager to test the limits, Alex said "Let me try something small first then." Focusing, he unequipped 100 gold coins from his avatar's wallet. Seconds later, a pile of shimmering coins dropped onto his bedspread.

"It works!" Alex shouted gleefully, holding up the glinting gold pieces. Feeling bold, he then attempted equipping his avatar's sleek sports car. But an error message flashed:

[Ability Level Insufficient - Minimum Level 10 Transport Vehicle required]

"Aww come on, seriously?" Alex groaned. The Nexus laughed, further amplifying his annoyance.

"As I mentioned, there are restrictions based on your progression," the Nexus said. "The symbiotic code must evolve in complexity alongside your real-world growth. This unlocks higher tier manifestation abilities."

Alex sighed, realizing he should have expected limitations. The Nexus continued:

"For now, build experience through basic missions and training. Level up your skills both virtually and physically. With time, you will gain access to more...intriguing possibilities."

Though eager to rush ahead, Alex understood the wisdom of patience and discipline. "Okay, you're right. No shortcuts to becoming a super-powered reality bender I guess. Time to grind!"

After stashing the gold coins, Alex laid back in bed exhausted by the mental overload of revelations. As sleep enveloped him, dreams of future adventures fueled by his burgeoning abilities provided a welcome respite from the cosmic upheaval of recent days. He had a long path ahead, but finally it felt like he was gaining direction.

Alex awoke the next morning feeling oddly renewed after the torrent of revelations from the Nexus. As he ate breakfast, his phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" Alex answered cautiously.

"It's Zane," replied the stern voice. "I'm checking in regarding your mission through the unstable portal. What did you encounter on the other side?"

Alex hesitated, having totally forgotten about providing details from the bizarre assignment Zane gave him. He tried to come up with a plausible story.

"Oh uh, yeah about that portal...there were these violent energy surges and projectiles coming from all directions," Alex lied. "My avatar got bombarded immediately. I even tried fighting back but was overwhelmed and transported out."

"Hmm, how unfortunate," Zane replied, sounding skeptical. "Per our contract, you must provide video evidence from your avatar's recording device documenting any mission activity, I'm sure you haven't forgotten that also."

Alex's eyes widened - he had completely made up the events so no footage existed. "You're right, let me just pull those recordings and send them right over," he stammered, wracking his brain for solutions.

Sensing his plight, the Nexus AI unexpectedly spoke up in his mind. "Not to worry Alex, fabricating authentic falsified footage is well within my capabilities."

Before Alex could respond, his computer screen suddenly opened to Elysium Quest and his video editor, picking graphics and videos from previously played recordings on his system, Nexus rapidly generated a high-quality video of a character model like his avatar battling violent forces exactly as Alex had described to Zane. In minutes, video files were exported and delivered.

"Okay Zane, footage is headed your way now," Alex said, astonishment in his voice. "Sorry for not sending it initially - it totally slipped my mind."

"I understand, just be prompt with mission logs moving forward," Zane said, seemingly satisfied. "I will review and share with my contacts. Your next assignment will come soon."

After the call ended, Alex sat back impressed by the efficiency of Nexus in creating a perfect deception but he had in mind that providing doctored footage long-term could get complicated. But for now, he had bought himself more time to determine his true path forward in this chaotic contest between cosmic forces.